105-Acre Land Conservation Easement Signed

We are happy to announce that on Monday, January 27, 2014, the Williams Lake Project (WLP), in partnership with Rondout-Esopus Land Conservancy, Inc. (RELC) established a conservation easement placing 105 acres of sensitive bat habitat into forever-wild conservation protection. This increases the total protected land to 516 acres in all (66% of the 779-acre property).

“The Williams Lake Project is proud to complete this very significant Conservation Easement with RELC, who are fabulous partners in conservation. This new easement forms a critical part of our comprehensive conservation program to protect one of the single most important Indiana bat hibernacula in the Northeast,” stated Project Manager, Tim Allred.

White-nose Syndrome was first discovered in 2008 in New York and is wiping out bat populations, including those here in Rosendale. WLP is working with biologists to understand the epidemic as they contribute research towards a solution. For now, we have implemented, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, an Indiana Bat Mitigation Plan. The plan includes restricting access to the hibernacula during winter months when bats are hibernating, as well as banning tree clearing during summer months when bats use trees for roosting and foraging, among other activities.